Your ‘ask slide’ is arguably the most important one during a presentation for seed funding – get it right, and others will follow. Here’s how.

🪩 State your goal upfront

Begin with a bold statement: “Raising $XM to become the market leader in {Region}”, or “Raising $Xm to rapidly scale". This immediately tells investors the amount you need and your primary objective. Be direct and confident.

🔌 Detailed use of funds

Be precise about how much money you are asking for. Investors want to see how the money will be allocated. Present it visually with a pie chart or bar chart. Here are a few good examples, each with a slide that has a Use of Funds section.

Pie charts or bars will assist investors in grasping your spending plan and knowing where you stand in a mere couple of seconds. 

🛰 Showcase strong backing

Name-drop your prior investment if you have sizable ones. Mention how much you’ve raised so far and the milestones you’ve hit, such as “$XM raised to date, achieving $YM in annualized revenue.” Highlight support from prominent angel investors or VC funds, adding their logos and names if possible. This builds credibility and shows that others believe in your vision.

Here is an example of a slide that showcases the strong backing:

🗺 Project future growth

Demonstrate a clear and ambitious growth trajectory. If you have a credible and defensible financial model, include a financial forecast graph with a flashy title like ‘Our current playbook gets us to $XXM+ in Revenue by 2028.’ Outline your key metrics: Revenue, Gross Margin, and  EBITDA Margin.

These projections will help investors visualize the potential returns on their investments.

Here are a few examples of the Ask slides that include the financial forecast:

🏈 Define post-round milestones

Lay out the key milestones you aim to achieve after securing this round of funding. Focus on specific, measurable goals; it can be the following:

• Platform launch and user growth

• Customer acquisition goals

• Revenue & monetization

• Global marketing campaign

Below is an example of the slide that clearly outlines the key milestones:

A clear timeline on post-round milestones indicates that you have a thought-through strategic growth plan which you can efficiently execute. An effective way to present this is through a chronological arrow diagram that outlines your key milestones over the next 2-3 years. 

This timeline defines a clear and coordinated path ahead that makes it easy for potential investors to see your goals and the plan that you have to reach them. Creating the milestones in an organised arrow diagram enables you to visually demonstrate your commitment to transparency and structured growth.

Here are a few examples of how you can present it: